Lee Enterprises Provides Notice of Data Incident

DAVENPORT, Iowa, June 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- 

Lee Enterprises ("Lee") is writing to notify the community of a data security incident which may have affected your personal information. We take the privacy and security of all information within our possession very seriously. Please read this letter carefully as it contains information regarding the incident and information about steps that affected individuals can take to help protect your information. Please review this communication to learn what happened and the steps that you can take to protect yourself against identity fraud.

What Happened?

On May 28, 2025, we learned that sensitive information of private individuals was potentially accessed without authorization. The unauthorized access was the result of a suspicious event we first learned of on or about February 3, 2025.We promptly initiated an investigation of the matter and engaged cybersecurity specialists to assist with the incident response. As a result, we determined that certain files may have been accessed or acquired without authorization on February 1, 2025. With the help of a third-party vendor, we undertook a comprehensive review and, on or about May 28, 2025, learned that some of your personal information was contained within the affected data set. Please note, we have no evidence of the misuse, or attempted misuse, of any potentially impacted information.

What Information Was Involved?

The incident may have included a person's name with a combination of one or more of the following: Social Security Number, Driver's License, Financial Account Number, Medical Information, or Health Insurance Policy Number.

What We Are Doing

As soon as we discovered this incident, we took the steps described above and implemented measures to enhance security and minimize the risk of a similar incident occurring in the future. We also notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation and will cooperate with any resulting investigation and provide whatever cooperation may be necessary to hold the perpetrators accountable. In addition, we are offering identity theft protection services through IDX, the data breach and recovery services expert. IDX identity protection services to include credit and CyberScan monitoring, a $1,000,000 insurance reimbursement policy, and fully managed ID theft recovery services. With this protection, IDX will help you resolve issues if your identity is compromised. The deadline to enroll in these services is September 3, 2025.

What You Can Do.

You can follow the recommendations on the following page to help protect your personal information. You can also enroll in the complementary services offered to you through IDX.

For More Information. Further information about how to protect your personal information appears on the following page. If you have questions or need assistance, please call 1-855-200-0677. We take your trust in us and this matter very seriously. We regret any worry or inconvenience this may cause.

Sincerely,

Lee Enterprises
4600 E. 53rd Street
Davenport, IA 52807

Steps You Can Take to Help Protect Your Personal Information

Review Your Account Statements and Notify Law Enforcement of Suspicious Activity: As a precautionary measure, we recommend that you remain vigilant by reviewing your account statements and credit reports closely. If you detect any suspicious activity on an account, you should promptly notify the financial institution or company with which the account is maintained. You also should promptly report any fraudulent activity or any suspected incidence of identity theft to proper law enforcement authorities, your state attorney general, and/or the Federal Trade Commission (the "FTC").

Copy of Credit Report: You may obtain a free copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies once every 12 months by visiting www.annualcreditreport.com/, calling toll-free 1-877-322-8228, or by completing an Annual Credit Report Request Form and mailing it to Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348. You also can contact one of the following three national credit reporting agencies:

Fraud Alert: You may want to consider placing a fraud alert on your credit report. An initial fraud alert is free and will stay on your credit file for at least one year. The alert informs creditors of possible fraudulent activity within your report and requests that the creditor contact you prior to establishing any accounts in your name. To place a fraud alert on your credit report, contact any of the three credit reporting agencies identified above. Additional information is available at www.annualcreditreport.com. For TransUnion: www.transunion.com/fraud-alerts.

Security Freeze: You have the right to put a security freeze on your credit file for up to one year at no cost. This will prevent new credit from being opened in your name without the use of a PIN number that is issued to you when you initiate the freeze. A security freeze is designed to prevent potential creditors from accessing your credit report without your consent. As a result, using a security freeze may interfere with or delay your ability to obtain credit. You must separately place a security freeze on your credit file with each credit reporting agency. In order to place a security freeze, you may be required to provide the consumer reporting agency with information that identifies you including your full name, Social Security number, date of birth, current and previous addresses, a copy of your state-issued identification card, and a recent utility bill, bank statement or insurance statement. For TransUnion: www.transunion.com/credit-freeze.

You also have certain rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA): These rights include to know what is in your file; to dispute incomplete or inaccurate information; to have consumer reporting agencies correct or delete inaccurate, incomplete, or unverifiable information; as well as other rights. For more information about the FCRA, and your rights pursuant to the FCRA, please visit www.consumer.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/articles/pdf/pdf-0096-fair-credit-reporting-act.pdf.

Additional Free Resources: You can obtain information from the consumer reporting agencies, the FTC, or from your respective state Attorney General about fraud alerts, security freezes, and steps you can take toward preventing identity theft. You may report suspected identity theft to local law enforcement, including to the FTC or to the Attorney General in your state.

Federal Trade Commission - Consumer Response Center: 600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20580; 1-877- IDTHEFT (438-4338); www.identitytheft.gov

For residents of Hawaii, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, and Wyoming: You are advised to remain vigilant for incidents of fraud and identity theft by reviewing credit card account statements and monitoring your credit report for unauthorized activity.

For residents of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, and West Virginia: You may obtain a copy of your credit report, free of charge, whether or not you suspect any unauthorized activity on your account. You may obtain a free copy of your credit report from each of the three nationwide credit reporting agencies. To order your free credit report, please visit www.annualcreditreport.com, or call toll-free at 1-877-322-8228. You can also order your annual free credit report by mailing a completed Annual Credit Report Request Form (available at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0155-free-credit-reports) to: Annual Credit Report Request Service, P.O. Box 105281, Atlanta, GA, 30348-5281.

For residents of Iowa: You are advised to report any suspected identity theft to law enforcement or to the Attorney General.

For residents of New Mexico: You are advised to review personal account statements and credit reports, as applicable, to detect errors resulting from the security breach. You have rights under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which governs the collection and use of information pertaining to you by consumer reporting agencies. For more information about your rights under the FCRA, please visit https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/articles/pdf/pdf-0096-fair-credit-reporting-act.pdf or www.ftc.gov.

For residents of Massachusetts: You have the right to obtain a police report filed in regard to this incident. If you are the victim of identity theft, you also have the right to file a police report and obtain a copy of it.

For residents of Oregon: You are advised to report any suspected identity theft to law enforcement, including the Attorney General, and the Federal Trade Commission.

For residents of Rhode Island: You have the right to file or obtain a police report in regard to this incident.

For residents of Arizona, Colorado, District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island: You can obtain information from the offices of your state Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission about fraud alerts, security freezes, and steps you can take toward preventing identity theft.

Federal Trade Commission - Consumer Response Center: 600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20580; 1-877- IDTHEFT (438-4338); www.identitytheft.gov

Arizona Office of the Attorney General Consumer Protection & Advocacy Section: 2005 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85004 1-602-542-5025

Colorado Office of the Attorney General Consumer Protection: 1300 Broadway, 9th Floor, Denver, CO 80203 1-720- 508-6000 www.coag.gov

District of Columbia Office of the Attorney General – Office of Consumer Protection: 400 6th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001; 202-727-3400; www.oag.dc.gov

Illinois office of the Attorney General: 100 West Randolph Street, Chicago, IL 60601; 1-866-999-5630; www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov

Maryland Office of the Attorney General - Consumer Protection Division: 200 St. Paul Place, 16th floor, Baltimore, MD 21202; 1- 888-743-0023; www.oag.state.md.us

New York Office of Attorney General - Consumer Frauds & Protection: The Capitol, Albany, NY 12224; 1-800-771-7755; https://ag.ny.gov/consumer-frauds/identity-theft

North Carolina Office of the Attorney General - Consumer Protection Division: 9001 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699; 1- 877-566-7226; www.ncdoj.gov

Rhode Island Office of the Attorney General - Consumer Protection: 150 South Main St., Providence RI 02903; 1-401-274-4400; www.riag.ri.gov

SOURCE Lee Enterprises